Warriors coach Nathan Brown expects the return to Mt Smart later this year to be a significant boost to the club – both on and off the field – as well as the wider game.
The Government announced changes to the Covid-19 traffic light settings on Wednesday, most notably removingany capacity limits for all outdoor events.
That move, along with the scrapping of several other Covid related restrictions, cleared the last of the impediments towards the Warriors staging their four scheduled Auckland matches this year, starting with a game against the Wests Tigers on July 3, before visits by the Melbourne Storm (July 29), Canterbury-Bankstown (August 12) and Gold Coast (September 3).
While the squad have more immediate priorities, after a disappointing start to the season, Brown said that Wednesday's news was a major fillip.
"It's going to be exciting for the people of New Zealand that have followed the Warriors for a long, long time," said Brown. "There's [also] a lot of young kids out there and for rugby league to thrive anywhere, having your home team play at your home ground is great for the youth and great for the development of the club."
The coach said it would also be a special experience for the vast majority of the squad who have never played for the Warriors in Auckland, as well as past Mt Smart regulars like Shaun Johnson, Tohu Harris, Jazz Tevaga and Chanel Harris-Tavita.
Brown also expected a performance boost, when the Warriors finally play in Auckland for the first time in almost three years.
"Your home ground has to be an advantage for you," said Brown. "There's no doubt about that, especially for us, the only team that resides in a different country.
"Not so much the last couple years, but generally, so I'd be very disappointed if our home ground wasn't an advantage for us. So to get back there is just going to be so enjoyable and exciting for many different reasons for many different people."
The Warriors are without a win after two rounds of the season. Photo / Photosport
Brown was looking also forward to experiencing the unique Mt Smart atmosphere from the home dressing room, after numerous visits with opposition teams.
But a more immediate concern is banking the first victory of the season, after consecutive defeats to the Dragons and the Titans. Both matches have seen slow starts – and 12-0 deficits - before the Warriors got going.
"We feel we're doing a lot of things better this year than we were last year but one thing we did do well last year was we generally started games reasonably well," said Brown. "So it is obviously something we have had to talk about."
The Warriors have also been hurt by their inconsistency within games, with a strong period followed by a series of mistakes, penalties and bad decisions.
While no team was immune to poor periods, Brown admitted the constant "clumps" of bad moments was killing their momentum and limiting their ability to apply pressure, citing seven yardage penalties after kicks last Saturday.
"I've got no doubt we're a better team than we were last year," said Brown. "But we've still got a little bit to go so that we can get the wins on the board."
Shaun Johnson is making good progress with his pectoral injury, though the diagnosis on fellow Ash Taylor (hip) is unconfirmed as they await scans. Prop Matt Lodge is expected to play longer minutes this week, after a stomach bug curtailed his stint against the Titans.
Friday's match (8pm) has the makings of a pivotal contest, with the Tigers also winless to start the season.
"Getting that monkey off your back certainly adds a little bit of confidence and obviously takes a bit of pressure off everyone," said Brown. "It's an important game for a number of reasons."
